WESTMINSTER, Colo. (KDVR) — A metro area teenager says she was assaulted inside a popular Halloween supply store after being harassed in a nearby parking lot.
Another teen and a 57-year-old woman were cited by Westminster police for harassment. Nancy Garcia’s 16-year-old daughter tells FOX31 she was parking in the lot on Oct. 16 just after 4 p.m., when a group of people displayed offensive gestures and taunted her.
“When I look over, they’re just all flipping me off, and I’m like, what the heck?” the teen said.
The teen says the group followed her into the store and continued to heckle her before initiating a physical confrontation as employees and other customers watched.
“I’m just like, ‘Why are you doing this?’” she said.
Garcia tells FOX31 she received a frantic call from her daughter explaining what was happening.
“She sounded hysterical, you know, kind of scared, like ‘Mom, you need to come now,’” she said.
Her daughter explained what was happening inside the store.
“Next thing you know, one of the females pushed one of them into my daughter to make her fight her and then all of a sudden she remembers they were all on top of her,” Garcia said.
The teen says a supervisor later stepped in and handled the situation.
“I would’ve felt safer if I knew that they had like the cops coming or something,” she said.
Many businesses do not allow employees to become involved in conflicts or apprehend suspects for their own safety. In some cases, doing so is a strict violation of company policies and can result in dismissal.
Garcia tells FOX31 she hopes businesses will develop policies that allow employees to provide more assistance to customers in need of help.
“I’m not saying step into the fight, but at least call 911; you see something happening, don’t stand around like there’s a show happening; take action, call 911,” she said.
FOX31 reached out to Spirit Halloween’s corporate office to ask about their policies. Our staff is still waiting for a response.
Anthony Sutton is a business strategist and writer with a passion for management, leadership, and entrepreneurship. With years of experience in the corporate world, he shares insights on business growth, strategy, and innovation through management-opleiding.org.
